Anywho - I had Stuffed Peppers with lamb. It was my first time to ever eat lamb!

THEY ARE DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb

1 cup cooked, cooled rice

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 bag mini bell peppers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Mix ground meat with rice, salt, and a few flavorful ingredients. Spoon filling into each half of the mini bell peppers; then broil on a baking sheet on the center rack until meat is cooked, about 8 minutes.

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I think you should know... as I was typing this post up and pulling in my photos - my stomach growled so loud I jumped in my seat. When are you cooking 'cause I'm HUNGRY!?!?

p.s. I have also come to the conclusion that I could run around taking pictures of vegetables at Farmer's Markets for WEEKS. I might have found a new muse! Do you know how many pocketbook ideas I got from eggplants and bell peppers and sweet peppers and okra and watermelons and fresh flowers and tomatoes and corn and squash and jalapeno's? Good grief...

Saturday, August 25

I was at an Herb Garden Center this morning and I first saw polka dots. Then I saw flowers. Then I saw that the flowers are GROWING out of the polka dots. Then...

I saw that the flowers are growing out of the polka dots which are REALLY a shoe bag! What a bloomin' GREAT idea!!!

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide which could be parking soon in the middle of an herb garden because I coulda' got lost in the flower beds for days... weeks... and I kinda want to see if I can turn my black thumb green now that we are heading in to the dead of winter. I DO have a shoe bag on the back of my closet door.... hmmmmm.....

"the Mama" skipped the dinner that year knowing my heart wasn't in it, loaded me up and took me shopping. It was great fun - we hit a fabric store, then we went to some clothing stores where we found great things to add to our wardrobes... then we ate dinner. It was a good birthday in the end, and my transition in to my 30's (REALLY? THIRTIES?!) was fairly non-traumatic.

The CHANGES that have occurred in the last 9 years (where does the time go?!) are WAY toooooo many to list - much less think about - so I'm not going to.

I'm rewinding to how I entered my new decade and gonna focus once again on my wardrobe for my birthday. Yes, my closet and it's contents.It is BORING.

Over the last 9 years I seem to have SUCKED THE COLOR - and pattern - right out of it. Which is freakishly odd since I live in color. The single-wide looks as if a crayon box exploded in it... and I like it.

the baseball bracelet was a gift from TOT, the pocketbook is lurking here

Why does my wardrobe not reflect my color adoration? Do my eyes think that gray, brown, cream, white and black - all solids - diminish the wrinkles, gray hairs and additional age spotsfreckles that have arrived in the past 9 years? *pffffft*

some "retreauxgirl" bling... and I guess navy is my new neutral... the pocketbook can be found here

So, for you my Dearest Birthday, I got brutal with my closet. I threw open the door of the den of awful and donned my sparring mittens.

If it didn't fit right - poof.gone.

If I felt it was boring and nothing would help? poof.gone.

I now own more jammie pants and SpongeBob t-shirts than I do "leave the house NOW" clothes. *pffffft*

i can't wait for it to get cold! i ADORE this afghan sweater! pocketbook available here... the charm bracelet is one that "the Mama" has helped me build for YEARS... and yes. this sweater is an EXACT MATCH to my hair... and I don't care!

I had EVERY intention of fixing the "lack of color and pattern" issue. Knowing that I was going in to re-hab the closet mode, I have been diligently searching all clothing stores over the last couple of months for COLOR... and things that fit right. And things that weren't solid... what's wrong with some floral now and then?I had EVERY intention of going out of my 30's in color... when I try something on and look in the mirror I think: "euww, that's tooooo bright!"

I kick myself (literally, it cracks me up.), shut my eyes, open them and look again. THEN I think, "oh... that's REALLY tooooo bright!". And it stays there!

Dear Birthday, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

It was a few days ago that I had an epiphany (I just like saying "epiphany"... I don't know if it was an actual "epiphany"). I have to wear neutrals 'cause everything around me is a crayon box.annnndddd...I also don't know what colors to wear.

So... enter in the accessories...and a few clothing purchases to fit the whole "I need things that fit" mind-set.

the necklace and earrings are scarab beetles and each stone has a special meaning... the spoon necklace is from SusieQ at Spoonin'!

Yes, that is a sparkly shirt... No... I'm not sure if it classifies as "neutral"... No... I can't wait for someone to take me somewhere fun and funky so I can wear it.

the bag and cameo bracelet are both Whiting Davis... Whiting Davis and Cameos are 2 things that make me swoon.

Heck, I'm gonna wear it today. Because it's my birthday and if I can't bring myself to wear great colors and/or patterns - I will wear great sparkles.Lots of sparkles...

the boots are my newest and my FAVORITE... both beaded bracelets were made for me by the "resident teen" a thousand years ago...

My dearest Birthday,
This year you are bringing big things.

The "resident teen" is going to turn 18 in a few weeks. EIGHTEEN! No wonder I have more wrinkles. EIGHTEEN!!!HOW did that happen?

He's going to graduate...

next summer he's going to move out - go to college - start living his own life and figuring out who he is.

In between all of that we are SURE to have 50milliontrillionbillion things going on... some in neutral... some in pattern... all of it accented with lots of color.

This year - starting today - you are going to watch me exploring and running rampant... proll'y turning a few cart wheels and vaulting up stairs - totally wreaking havoc... through the last year of my thirties. Next year you are going to be welcoming me in to my 40's...yeah, Mom... I said FORTIES!

My forties are going to be my next chapter. I have great things on my "to do" list. So - one year from today - I will be turning the page and writing on a new one. It's going to be fun.And a lot colorful in all of the little ways that matter.

And totally sparkly... everything is better when it sparkles. Sparkles will disguise the laugh lines, age spots freckles and will accent the graysilver hairs that keep trying to accessorize my head.

Monday, August 13

When I left you for the week-end I fully intended to make great things in the "la.bor.a.tory". But...

I had my little cousin graduating from Baylor...

which is very odd 'cause I could have SWORN it was just a couple of years ago that I was peeking at her through her crib rails. *pfft*

And then i had a meteor shower to watch and for WHATEVER reason thought i could catch a shooting star with my camera...

that did not turn out well. HOWever, I did make a TON of wishes.

Then...

I got a new sister! I didn't get to go bury my feet in the sand and grin the stupid "big sister" grin of pride at my little brother... but I did get to steal some photos from their friend, Lillie, so that I could at least pretend that I got to grin the stupid "big sister" grin.

And there you have it. Isn't there a saying about "the best intentions something something something"? Today I REALLY AM going out in the "la.bor.a.tory" to make great things...

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I'm wondering... did you do what you intended to do this week-end or did you get side-tracked with new family members, falling stars and a college graduate too?

Thursday, August 9

(ONLY one of my FAVORITE people EVER (and when I say favorite, I mean FAVORITE...) she's the first face I look for in the cow pastures, and I stalk herwatch to see what else she's up to so I can see her other places... I even crash 3 day events that she's participating in just so I can stalk hersee her...)

posted this photo on my facebook page with the caption: "it's so you"...

Arrange fruit and vegetable squares like a mosaic on individual salad plates. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste; drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs and coriander seeds. Serve chilled.

Everything you have seen so far was bought with the whole "I'm gonna take this to my "mercantile" in The Hillsboro Antique Mall and everyone will want to buy it because it takes my breath away and makes my toes tingle" mind set.

i found 2 sign stands... i'm selling 4. uh huh... progress.

Instead? I'm gonna over-haul my living room. Which is going to be a project as big as the SUPER HUGECRAZYCOLOREDVINTAGEGROOVY quilt top that I found made out of ATROCIOUSLYbright and colorful FUN vintage fabric samples. (imagine it on my turquoise couch... against my saffron walls... *giggle*)

well... minus the dry, DEAD, grass area rug... and oh...INSIDE the single-wide... not in the back pasture.

The floral chair? It's been loitering for a few months because it's yet another thing I bought out of vintage-lust...

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where right now I'm watching Hoarders... and writing this post about keeping things and having things sitting around waiting for me to keep more things... and looking back at the TV and watching Hoarders... and I am a bit worried...

Honey, next time you tell me to "only buy what you love", will you PLEASE add "with the intent to resell".

Friday, August 3

There are thrEEE little girls and their red.neck Aunt loose in the 'hood...

This is GONNA BE FUN!!!

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where the oldest "E" and I are going to the movies this evening... there's no tellin' what else could happen while the girls are supposed to be attending "Gran-Mommy Camp"at "the Mama's"... what my brother and sister-in-law don't know won't hurt them.

Ya'll have a Happy Week-end filled with grins, giggles, a lil' bit of trouble... and some hair bows!

Welcome!!!

I have changed my business name! It's still ME, but I am now known as "maud elizabeth"!
red.neck COOL. trailer-park FABULOUS. country CHIC. blue-collar VOGUE. whatever you choose to call it, it is HIP, SOPHISTICATED…incredibly FUN and extremely UNIQUE! as a guest and potential "red.neck" you are invited to browse my home page, view my projects, post comments and access the red.neck archives. have some fun!